Senior sparks Flyers to victory

Adam Konarik wanted to provide St. Joseph with a spark to start the season off right Tuesday night.

Konarik did that and more.

The senior led a 23-8 run in the third quarter against Faith Academy (4-2) en route to a 63-47 victory Tuesday night.

"I'm trying to help in every way possible," Konarik said. "I'll do what it takes to get the ball around, make it work for the team."

Tuesday night's season opener did not start off exactly as the Flyers (1-0) would have have liked. They scored just nine points in the first quarter, but coach Abraham Garcia saw potential during that rough start in the first half.

"It took us a little while to kind of get going what we were trying to do," Garcia said. "Once we got rolling, I think we were pretty good at it. I really liked the defensive intensity and the way we were able to put pressure on the ball and get some transition points from that."

Though Konarik, a two-year varsity player, finished with eight points for the Flyers, Garcia appreciated him helping out with the little things.

"When he comes out, he does what he quietly does. He gets rebounds, he gets steals and a lot of put backs when he's asked to do so," Garcia said. "He's a great complement to what we're trying to do."

Flyers senior Luke Wenske knew the team could have done better in the first half. Having a player such as Konarik can help the Flyers in various ways, he said.

"He's a strong guy and an energetic player," Wenske said. "He provides points, rebounds, whatever we need, when we need it. We can always count on him."

The Cougars had a chance to close the gap in the third quarter, but Eli Espindola, one of the team's leading scorers, fouled out with five minutes left in the quarter.

"Eli's our center. He's a core of our team," Faith coach Matt McLeod said. "He knew he had to be on the floor for us to win, so we rolled with it. It didn't work out in our favor. They came out strong; we didn't answer the call."

Konarik completed his final season playing football for the Flyers on Friday with a victory. While it wasn't the best season in football - the team had two wins - he has high aspirations for the basketball season moving forward.

"I just expect to play to my full potential," Konarik said, "Helping my team to go potentially as far as we can and even to state."

Lady Flyers win

The Lady Flyers won their first game of the season, beating the Victoria Cobras 71-21 Tuesday night.

At halftime, the Lady Flyers were up 45-13.

Kensey Marshall led the Lady Flyers with 16 points, while Iris Young had 15, and Hanna Novosad had 13.